Fertility, infertility, subfertility and secondary infertility & IVF

Acupuncture and mindbody medicine have been shown to significantly improve the success rates of IVF. At monkmedicalgroup we run a programme that draws on the expert knowledge of both Dr and Mrs Monk, and combines both their treatment approaches in a single programme which is personalised for your needs.

We can, of course, offer both mindbody medicine and acupuncture separately if you prefer.

Even a single treatment with acupuncture has been shown to make a difference to success rates, if done at the right time, but 'more is better' and we would prefer not to rely on a single session. Probably the best results come from a course of treatment commencing a few weeks before IVF.

Secondary InfertilityCouples who already have one child, and are struggling to conceive another (secondary infertility), usually do not qualify for IVF, and there is little help from other sources. Acupuncture with or without mindbody medicine may give them the boost they need.

Male InfertilityIn 30% of couples the difficulties in conceiving lie with the man who may have a low sperm count or show other disturbances. Male fertility problems may be helped as well. There are now several studies which show that acupuncture can boost sperm numbers and improve their motility.

Michael Monk has undertaken study with Professor Elisabet Stener-Victorin. She is one of the leading researchers in the world into the effects of acupuncture on fertility and hormonal regulation. She worked with the team at Falun, Sweden, who have some of the best success rates in the world for IVF. Michael uses influences from her evidence based Western Medical Acupuncture approach in his treatments.

Sarah Monk went to Boston, Massachusetts, to train with Dr Alice Domar, a world renowned expert in the field of mindbody medicine and infertility and Womens' Health. Sarah is one of only a handful of people trained personally by Alice Domar and certified to deliver this approach in the UK.

"The latest figures (2009) show that 25.2% of IVF treatments using a woman's own fresh eggs resulted in a live birth, down 0.6% on the previous year" HFEA. www.hfea.gov.uk/ accessed 4 August 2012Siterman S et al,. Effect of acupuncture on sperm parameters of males suffering from subfertiity related to low sperm quality. Arch Androl 1997 39(2);155-61